Shock-absorber for motor-vehicles.



E, KNAUSS. SHOCK ABSORBER FORMTOR VEHCLES. APPUCATION HLEDMJNE2Z,1915. RENEWED JUNE 9,1916. l

Yatente Jan. 1917. y

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. KNAUSS. SHQGK ABSORBER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPUCATIQN EILED JUNE 22, l9l5. REN'EWED )UNE 9,`

2 SHEETSmSHEET 2.

BEST AVAILABLE ooP EDWARD KNAUss, or. MoUN'r'vEaN-ON, NEW Yomz, assIGNoR, BY :amaca AssIGNMENTs, To THE te. MANUFACTURING coMrANY,

A eomeoazeroa 'afsw Yom;

Lemoore.

Application sled June 22, 1915,` serial No.

Thisinvention relates to shock-absorbers espeeiaiiy adapted for use on motor vehicles, and has for its object to provide an absorber that will be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and more eflieient in actionhan those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of oonstruction, and combinations ot parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and partieularl)v Y pointedout in the claims Referring to the aeeompanying drawings formingr a part of this specification, in which like numerals designatel likeparts inall the vie\vs:-'-Figure 1 is a diagranunatio view of a portion of an automobile ivith this in` vention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the invention taken on line 2-2 of Fig. i; Fiyr. fl is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating dif'ereut modes of operation of the absorber: Fig. i is a plan. view of the ab sorber certain parts being broken away. to expose one ot' the. friction disks; and Fig.

5 is a vieu similar to Fig'. 1, with a pair of the arms removed to expose the coiled shock absorbing spring. y

1 indicates the bod57 of a motor vehicle, 2 the vehicle spring usually carried by'tho axle, 3 the vehicle springusually carried by lthe vehicle body, 4 the usual shackle eonneet-ingr the springs 2 and El, any suitable means for attaching one ot' the absorlwrarmsL to the axle. or to spring Q, and 6 any suitable means for attaching another absorber arm to the bod)Y l, or to the spring* 3.

The absorber itself comprises a pair of arms 7 and S. provided on their outer ends with the respeetive effe mem ers 9 and 10. through whieh passe the 'F irulo or sleeve il. On their innere s arms 7 and S are oppositeiy oii'set fori@ the hoi: 1Q, and

as avertirons, N. Y.,

ia literair-rayons.

lPatented Jaa. 16, 1era 35,569. Renewed :rune 9,1916. sealan. 102,793.

the,l respective plate or disk members 13 and 14 provided With central perforations through which passes mi' the head 16, the screw threaded end i7 and nut 18. nside the hoxlike space '12, is located the heliealiy coiled absorber spring :20, one end 21 of which, is holt l5. and the other end 22 of which is secured tosaid arms and 8, a VSlot or out aivay portion 25, Fig'. 2, being provided in. said arms tor that purpose.

Outside the arm Y is a similarA arm 30 provided with an eye member 3l, and a plate or disk member 52. located a similarA arm 33 provided with an eve member 34, and plate or disk member' 85. TheY plate or disk members 32 and 35, are otlset from their respective arms to form aspair ot spaces to accommodate the friction disks 36 and 37 respectively. That is to say, the disk member is iooated outside of und rests on the thilnble like projection or bear-` ing 39 with Whioh the disk member 13 is provided` and between said bearing 39 and the ofiset flange or rim 40 of the disk 39, is an annular space to accommodate thel friotion ring); or perforated disk 365 lnl the same \va v the plate or dislcmember 35 isprovided with an offset rim 41 between which and :the offset bearings@ of the disk 14 rests the frio'- tion disk or ring;` 37.

The arms 7 and 8 are. seoured together b v the. sleeve 11 to form a'siugrle lever and the arms 3() and 33 are likewisey secured to- ,eether by thel sleeve 45 to form another independent single lever l. The two single levers thus formed are held at an angle to eaeh other as shown, while the pivot. holt 15 passes through all four-ot' the disk like plates lil. 14. and 32. 35 belonging te said levers as will be clear from the drawings.

Rigid with the bolt l5 is the ratehe; wheel 46. and pivotallv secured to one o the levers Il() or 33' is the pa\vl A1T adapted to engage said ratehet 46. 5l) represents any suit able spring means adapted to be compressed by the nut 1S, to press the disks 13, i4. 32

a'ud 35 together. and thereb)r inerease the secured to said` And outside, the arm 8 is eesi' AVAILABLE COP* t ratchet and the lever R formed by the members 30 and 32E is turned around the pivot bolt l5' until any desired angle separates the two levers .\,and l. rl`he sleeve ll on lever -'l. may now be engaged with the tastening means t' on the vehicle body l or vehiele springr Ii. and the sleeve l5 on lever B may he likewise engaged with the fastening means 5 carried by the axle or the vehicle spi-hr;r :2. 'l`he pawl 1T is niade to engage its ratchet lo. and the nut 1S is set up sulli` eiently to produee the desired friction between the parts. wrench may be applied to the head V1b ol the boltv l5. and any desired tension may he put into the spring 20 liet us suppose that the normal tendency of the sprinf.r U will be to elose the levers and B bwith a Vt'oree ot say 30 pounds while the trietioi et' the disks :13 and 3T resists 'this tendriauhr a torre ot' say 50 pounds.

Now. should the wheel run over an obstruetion. the axle and spring! l would be sudcare ot by the absorber. while the rest olfy the energy is stored up in the vehicle springs. When the wheel strikes the I rround again. a moment later. the vehicle springs l and 3 fall together and there is a tendency to put them under -still greater strains. On

the rebound, however, or when the springs 2 and begin to separate to resumo their normal positions. the. absorber spring 20 opposes this separatingr motion ot the springs and 3 by a torre of Il() pounds. and the frietion disks oppose it by a 'force of 50 pounds makin;r a total absorbingr torce, of say 90 pounds` or a lt'oree of say four times that whieh was exerted in the beginning. 'l`he result. is a highly yielding action of the vehicle springs 2 and it. while they are absorbing energy. and a very slow rate of giving up the energy absorlwd.- thus producinet unusually smooth riding.

lt is not at all necessary that the spring 30 shall normally tend to force the levers A and ll toward each other. for the. lever B tor example. may he held stationary and as indicated in Fig. 3, lever A may be swung in a vloek wise direction 'from its tull line position to its dotted line position whereupon it' tension is now put. upon the spring fl by turningT the head lt, in the same direction as before. the normal tendency of the spring 20 will be to separate the levers A and ll instead ot' to close them. This is an important, feature of the invention for it is obvious it enables one lo provide any deln such ease. the absorber may be so set that 7o the arms would pull together with a force of 5U pounds. or in some eases, the vehicle K springs migzht be of sur-h a nature as toI re- `pure thatthe arms normally Pull together,

b v a t'oree ot` say only 10 pounds 'or 15 pounds. ln still other eases the vehicle springs inigrht be so weak that they bumped the axles on rough roads. ln sueh cases, by settingr the arnis and l` so that they normally tend to pull apart. and by placingr sullieient tension on the absorber Spring 20, the weakness of the vehicle springs'is lar ely if not entirely overcome. A\`. Iain instea of windingr up the absorber spring when ad jus-ling its tensiony the absorber spring;r may he unwound when adjusting the same. if one reverses the pawl 4T. and then the absorber will function as one having a weaker or sot'rer spring.r than was the case before.

lt will be clear in all eases that the pris mary t'unetion of the friction employed, iS to ott-set. or eounterbalance, the action of the spring in one direction` and to add to, or work with. said spring action in the other diret-tion. n

lt is. obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of constrm tion, as well as the arrangement ot parts without departing t'rom the spirit, of the invention, and therefore l do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required b v the claims.

1. tu a shock absorber, the combination ot' a pair of relatively movable arms, each arm comprising;r two members;- means for pivotingr said arms at an angle to each other: a spring located between the members of one arm adapted to resist a relative movement ot said arms in one direction, and to assist said movementl in an opposite direction; and friction generating means located between said last Anamed members and eaeh of the members of said other arm adapted to resist said movement in both directions. substantiallyr as described.

Q. In a shock absorber the combination of a pair of lever arms; a pivot member joining said arms; a spring oneJ endof which is connected to one of said a1'ms,ancl the other end of which is connected to said pivot member; a movable connection between the other of said arms and said pivot member;

BEST AVAILABLE COP` a. spring located between the members of one arm adapted to resist a relative movement of said arms 1x1-one direction :md to assist said movement in an opposite direction; friction generatmg means locatedbetween said .last named' members and each of the memfriction generating means for controllingand of sind" the movement of said arms, spring in one direction; means to adjust the tension of said spring; and means compris` ing a sprin member for adjusting the pressure of sai friction generating means; substantially es describeV 5. In a. shock absorber the combination of a, parir of relatively movable arms; e spring controlling the movement of said arms; a pivot member holding said arms and spring together; one end of said spring being at tacked to one of said arms and the other end to said pivot member; s. friction generetin(7 means for controlling` the movement of said arms and of smid spring in one direction; means Comprising :i pnwl carried by the other of said arms end a ratchet carried by seid pivot member to adgust the tension of said spring; end means comprising n. sprin member for adjusting the pressure of sai friction generating ineens, substantially' as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD KNAUSS.-

Witnesses:

H. C. SriNrms, J. T. SUNDERLAND. 

